The Knicks have officially been eliminated from playoff contention and Carmelo Anthony is expected to opt-out and not pick up his $23.5 million player option, making him a free agent. The Chicago Bulls are rumored to be one of the big contenders to land Anthony and his recent praise and inquiries about coach Tom Thibodeau only add fuel to the fire.
via Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:
Carmelo Anthony recently approached a former Chicago Bulls player and asked a loaded question that should make Phil Jackson a little nervous.
“What is it like to play for Thibs?” Anthony said.
Anthony’s interest in Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau can be taken one of several ways. Anthony, who lives and breathes basketball, is merely interested in learning something about one of the NBA’s top coaches. In fact, Anthony will be working with Thibodeau, who was named to USA Basketball’s coaching staff last June.
Of course, Anthony’s impromptu background check on Thibodeau could also be his idea of due diligence since the Bulls loom as an attractive option this summer for the free-agent-to-be.
And as recently as Friday, Anthony complemented Thibodeau, and the players who play so hard for him, no matter the circumstances.
When asked on Friday why the Bulls have survived losing key players while the Knicks haven’t, Anthony said: “I have no clue. Thibs is a great coach, his system kind of reminds me of Gregg Popovich’s system.
“You put anybody in that system and it’s going to work. That’s what they’ve been doing. They’ve had guys sitting out all season long, guys that’s been in and out of the lineups and they seem to get it done.”
